Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Quality barrel lead times?

I’m putting together a M70ss classic action, edge stock, sunny hill bottom metal.

Looking for a 20-21” featherweight or close profile barrel in .366 for a 9.3x62. I’m not looking for benchrest accuracy and I’m not patient enough to wait 6 months for a barrel. I want the rifle completed and tested before a May ‘24 bear hunt. I checked a few and most have long lead times. Any suggestions on a barrel mfg that is shipping in 6 weeks or less?

Douglas.

Melvin Forbes used them on his NULA rifles. So did Dakota.

Get a 1-12”

Lilja is usually pretty fast from what I’ve been told.

Thanks guys. Waiting on a reply from Douglas and will check out Lilia as well.

RinB, why 1:12 over 1:10? Likely shooting 286 gr mostly or maybe a lighter flavor in a Barnes bullet. Will a 1:12 stabilize a 286 gr partition?

Sep 2022, I dropped a barreled action at Douglas's shop on the way through WV. Had the finished job, with new barrel fitted, back at my house 16 days later. I have had Douglas fit new barrels to 4 or 5 actions. Never longer than 5-6 weeks. Never any drama. The only thing Douglas will not do, that I wish they would, is fluting.

I talked with Carson about a month ago about a 6mm barrel he told me 3-4 months.

i got a k&p in 4 weeks i think

Hart has always been fast.
People trash Douglas as sub par, but the few I’ve had were extremely accurate. A .223 I sold and a .308 I still own.

Try Brux they usually will work with you.

I have purchased several barrels directly from Lilja. All have come in on time or ahead of time. My experience Lilja tends to under promise and over deliver.

Shilen was a year out last I checked. It was a custom contour however.

My hart took 4months and the contour was wrong.

Douglas is 45 minutes from me, drop the action off and in 2 weeks the gun was ready for pickup having been blueprinted and a new spout installed. This is the way I'd lean for a hunting rifle. Mine shoots great.

Check bugholes.com or redhawk rifles. They keep a good variety in stock. Recently picked up my bartlein from bugholes.

When Douglas states "Actions will be trued" in the description of their barrel fitting service I'm inclined to believe it means they skim cut the face of the action.

I ordered 2 Lilja bbls back in Jan/Feb and they were a week earlier than their 12wk estimate on lead time. I know Lilja has a bunch of factory duplicate contours they can do, including the Win Fwt bbl taper as well. I've had them do 3 Kimber Montana duplicates and 1 Ruger varmint and all 4 fit the original inletting perfectly.

Couldn't tell you. I remember that I drove up there and dropped it off. I asked for a 10twist factory sporter and for it to be blueprinted and Stan Taylor said I'll call you in two weeks when it's finished. Might have been 5 days.

My comp guns all wear Bartlein gain twist barrels and they are about 10 months out last I heard. For hunting or varmint rifles, Douglas all the way.

Hardin,
I am not an expert re the 9.3-62 but I believe the European standard is close to 1-14. I would pick the 1-12 but a 1-10 is a little too much.

Pac-Nor recently made me a barrel chambered in 404 Jeffery and fit it to my action with a turnaround time of 8 weeks, which was less than the time quoted.

Lead time for a barrel blank is quoted as around 6 weeks I believe.

Communication was excellent, they’re great people to work with.

Mines a 1-10 and no issues with 250 ABs, TTSX and Swifts with Accuracy.

Scotty,
I would happily use a 1-10. My 375 H&H has a 1-10. Generally I like more twist so don’t know why I suggested 1-12. Likely off that day.
R

1-12 is more than enough for any 9.3mm barrel made. But the trend is to "even more than enough."

On the other question, I have more Douglas and Lilja barrels on my rifles than any other after-market brands, partly because they tend to have more in stock, rather than several months from now.